Danielle Steel is one of those authors that I turn to again and again. I love her stories of generations of a family which also capture moments of a time in history. The Wedding Dress by Danielle Steel, published in April 2020, is one of my favourites.
Plot Summary
The book begins in 1928 with Eleanor preparing for her debut into society. Her parents, Charles and Louise, are extremely wealthy and spare no expense for this event. Indeed, Louise and Eleanor travel to Paris to have a designer dress made. It is at the debutante’s ball that Eleanor meets Alex and they begin a whirlwind romance. Alex is also extremely wealthy, having inherited a fortune from his late parents. When he proposes, Louise and Eleanor make another journey to Paris and have a wedding dress designed and fashioned for a royal wedding. This wedding dress becomes an important family heirloom which will be passed down to generations to come.
The book continues with a focus on the Great Wall Street crash of 1929 and the resulting economic depression. Successive generations are born and the story evolves to include aspects of changing values and interpersonal conflict within the family. There are the expected tragedies that have become the signature of this author. The final generation brings us to modern day with respect and appreciation of those that came before them.
Book Review
I really enjoyed this book and really felt engaged to the story throughout. The characters are extremely well developed, and likeable. I loved the glamour of the early parts of the book, the glimpse into the design process, and the descriptions of travel in the 1920’s. I was moved by the narration of the romance of between Eleanor and Alex. I also really appreciated the relationship between Eleanor and Alex and their Granddaughter Ruby, which was reminiscent of my own special relationship with my maternal Grandparents.
Audiobook Review
I listened to the audiobook version of the book which was performed by Todd McLaren. I am always a little surprised to hear a male’s voice narrate books that fit within the romance genre, but it is actually a good fit given that Danielle Steel tells a story that is from both male and female’s point of view. The narrator’s voice is clear and articulate with the perfect amount of emotion and expression. I listened to the book at my usual 1.25x which was comfortable. I would not hesitate to recommend listening to the audiobook format of the book.
- Well developed, likeable characters
- The relationships between the generations
- A glimpse into travel in the first half of the 20th century
- The romance between Eleanor and Alex
- One section of the book jumps in time very quickly and I would have like a bit more development of this part of the story.
My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.
Thank you for reading and supporting my blog. If you enjoyed reading this post, please consider subscribing to my blog. Have a great day!
Charity
Oh this sounds like a book I would definitely enjoy. Thanks so much for sharing it! I will have to check it out!
thathappyreader
Thanks Charity! I hope that you enjoy it!
Sara
It's a lovely review of a wonderful story that depict family ties, timeline, changing times and used wedding dress as a metaphor. As you have mentioned that Danielle Steel is best known for these kind of stories, so I can well imagine your enjoyment while reading and listening to the book.
Thanks for another lovely review!
thathappyreader
Thanks Sara!
Kelly
I really like the sound of this book, not my usual pick but I love the generation concept! Thanks for sharing x
thathappyreader
Thanks Kelly!
Lisa's Notebook
I can't believe I'm saying this but I've never read any Danielle Steel! I don't think she's my genre although that's a little unfair as I haven't tried her books. But I have friends who love her, so they'll be interesting in this review 🙂
thathappyreader
Thanks Lisa!
Della Driscoll
This sounds like such a lovely read, I'll need to give it a read xx
thathappyreader
Thanks Della! I hope that you enjoy it!
Robin Loves Reading
That book sounds really good. Excellent review.
thathappyreader
Thank you Robin!
Lynn Mejia
My cousin loves Danielle Steel and has read so many books from her! I'm glad you liked this book! Well written review x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
thathappyreader
Thanks Lynn!
Booksforall245
This is a really great review! It sounds like a really nice romance!
thathappyreader
Thank you!
jennyinneverland
This isn't usually my sort of genre but great review and it definitely sounds like an interesting read! x
thathappyreader
Thanks Jenny.
Sophie
I've never read a Danielle Steel. I never think of her stuff as one of my go-to genres but I love the sound of the 1920s setting here, might be worth a read!
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
thathappyreader
Thanks Sophie! You should give this one a try!
GWT
Someone in my family was an avid fan of Danielle Steele. One day during some clearing out found a stash of her books hidden away. Well I read them. Back then, her books were transportation into another world, lifestyle far from the Atlantic rollers that crashed onto our islands beaches.
Must admit, I love how this title was weaved into this story. Seems like there's another opportunity to be transported somewhere else.
Thanks for the review.
thathappyreader
Thanks for sharing your memories!
MicheleReader
Good review. I enjoyed this book very much!
thathappyreader
Thanks Michele! I’m glad that you enjoyed it as well!
Nancy
The Wedding Dress sounds like a great book! Oook, pretty cool that it takes place in the early 1900's. Life was definitely different then. I know I definitely wasn't alive for that wall street crash, but always interesting to read stories that even have that sort of scenario. Glad you enjoyed the book overall!
Nancy ✨ mdrnminimalists.com
thathappyreader
Thanks Nancy!